


Eyes on Him

by madlysanecatlady



Series: Gladnis Valentine's Day [4]
Category: Final Fantasy XV
Genre: Fluff, Gladnis, M/M, Valentine's Day, that wholesome goodness
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-02-05
Updated: 2018-02-05
Packaged: 2019-03-13 20:45:46
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,870
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/13578612
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/madlysanecatlady/pseuds/madlysanecatlady
Summary: Ignis is decorating for the king's Valentine's day party but feels a pair of amber eyes on him all day. It takes him a few times catching Gladio staring at him, but Ignis finally susses out just what he's trying to ask.





	Eyes on Him

**Author's Note:**

> **The[Prompt](http://madlysanecatlady.tumblr.com/post/170439296574/gladnis-valentines-day-prompts) is:**   
>  _Ignis notices Gladio watching him while he decorates for the king’s Valentine’s Day party._
> 
> I know people don't generally write out their own prompts (afaik) but hey, who am I to try and stifle my own creativity when it decides to flow while I'm supposed to be sleeping before work?

Something about the gaudy heart-shaped light strands he was helping one of the maids hang in the ballroom just made Ignis want to smile. The whole concept was ridiculous, really, the king hosting a party in honour of a romantic holiday that had fallen prey long ago to rampant commercialism and trivialisation – something made abundantly clear by these horrendously red string lights. And yet, Ignis thought it was oddly sweet that the king was willing to set aside a night for his citizens to come and dance the night away with their special someone.

Out of the corner of his eye, he saw someone watching him as he climbed back up his ladder with another set of lights and looked down to find Gladio eyeing the string lights bemusedly. Ignis smiled down and waved. ‘Hello Gladio.’

‘Hey Iggy,’ Gladio raised an eyebrow as Ignis continued stringing the lights along the ceiling. ‘Uh, what’re you doing?’

‘His majesty has requested I oversee the decorations for this evening,’ Ignis climbed back down to move the ladder. ‘Far be it from me to not get my hands dirty and help.’

‘Yeah, but _why_?’ Gladio gestured at the campy little lights.

‘Surely you’ve heard of the ball being held this evening?’ Ignis paused with his foot on the bottom rung. ‘About a dozen people must have asked for your accompaniment by now, in the very least.’

‘Appreciate the confidence in my catchability, but no,’ Gladio looked uncomfortable. ‘The girls prefer to be asked, and the guys well, probably think I’m not worth asking.’

‘Now that’s ridiculous,’ Ignis tutted. ‘Then you should ask someone; I’m certain you have someone in mind.’

‘Yeah, there’s someone I’d love to ask, but I doubt they’d ever be interested in _me_ ,’ Gladio shrugged.

‘Come now, Gladio, a person would have to be completely mad to not accept a date with you,’ Ignis said kindly. ‘You’re always so confident, I have to admit it’s a little peculiar to see you so unsure about yourself.’

Gladio looked at him for a moment, appearing to be thinking deeply. ‘So, uh…’ he broke off, appearing to rethink what he was going to say. ‘Thanks, Iggy. I’ve gotta head over for Noct’s training but… don’t fall off that ladder, ok?’

‘There are few as nimble as I, Gladio, not to worry,’ Ignis smiled and climbed back up, looking down to wave at Gladio, who practically fled the ballroom. Ignis frowned. That was _quite_ out-of-character. Gladio clearly had something on his mind that was bothering him. Ignis would need to find him later to find out what it was.

-

The gardens were a little chilly in the early springtime air, but Ignis’ leather jacket caught most of the bite of the wind for him, leaving him comfortable. The same could not be said for the poor gardener currently helping him stringing fairy lights in the carefully sculpted hedges.

‘Are you going to be alright?’ Ignis asked him for the fifth time. ‘I can call for a better jacket if you’d like.’

‘Thank you sir, but I think I’ll be fine,’ the gardener shook his head. ‘We’re almost done here. You want to put the rose petals in the fountain like the king wants? That way we’ll save some time. I’ve got this.’

Ignis nodded and carefully descended his ladder to go find the large sac of freshly harvested rose petals. Shouldering it with ease, he walked over to the fountain, feeling eyes on him as he did. He looked around, spying Noctis and Gladio on the outdoor training grounds. Gladio was training Noctis how to fight on uneven and slippery terrain; or at least, he _should_ have been, had he not been staring in Ignis’ direction.

Doing his best to ignore the odd feeling in his gut and the prickling at the back of his neck, he pulled open the drawstring and began walking around the large fountain, pouring the rose petals as evenly as he could. All told, the effect was rather beautiful, a mix of red, pink, and white petals swirling around at the surface of the dancing water. Ignis smiled. This was certainly going to provide a romantic ambiance for the evening. He only wished he could enjoy it with someone special. He certainly had someone in mind but, well, he understood how Gladio felt.

He looked back up to find that Noctis was practicing warp strikes on his own, Gladio still looking in his direction, watching him work. Shrugging to himself, Ignis raised a hand and waved, smiling brightly.

Gladio’s face appeared to flush and he looked away briefly before returning the wave. He quickly returned to Noctis’ side, making a show of showing him proper grip technique for the blade he was practicing with.

Ignis frowned. Alright, that was _odd_. Gladio had never behaved in this manner before. Ignis wondered what was going on in that strikingly bright mind of his. He was now quite looking forward to finding him after he was finished; his curiosity had been piqued.

-

The waiters hired for the evening were very knowledgeable about ideal wine and beer pairings, but seemed sorely unprepared for making cocktail suggestions should a guest request it. Ignis was assisting the bartenders in explaining the signature drinks designed for the evening, outlining their optimal dinner and appetizer pairings, as well as generally assisting in the memorization of the drinks’ ingredients.

For the third time that day, he felt eyes on his back and turned around to find Gladio in the doorway, clearly having paused as he was walking past. He startled when he saw Ignis had noticed him and nodded before hastily continuing on his way to wherever he had been headed, the training area for a sparring session likely, considering the time.

Ignis sighed. He was very unused to this. Usually Gladio was the easiest person to read. It was part of what Ignis loved most about him. There was no room in his busy life for ambiguity, and Gladio made maintaining simple relationships, well, _simple_. He hoped this was simply an off-day for him and not some new trend in their friendship; he would hate for Gladio to become yet another chore for him. He handed out the waiters’ notepads and pens with another, heavier sigh. Now he _definitely_ needed to speak with Gladio; he wasn’t about to let something as silly as this ruin what they had.

-

This was the part Ignis loved most about helping the king plan parties and dinners, apart from planning the menu, at least. He arranged roses, alternating pink and red paired with white table by table, ensuring all the stems were pristine and free from pricking thorns before standing them in their crystal vases, tying a matching ribbon around the neck of each. He had a true talent for floral arrangements and truly relished the days he was able to show that off.

The familiar feeling of Gladio’s eyes on him preceded the large soldier into the ballroom. Ignis frowned; Gladio looked positively nauseated.

‘H-hey Iggy,’ Gladio forced a smile that looked more like a grimace to Ignis. ‘Decorating going well?’

‘Indeed,’ Ignis eyed him carefully. ‘Are you alright? You look a little under the weather.’

‘I, uh, yeah, I’m fine,’ Gladio gave a hard swallow. ‘I just wanted to…’ he trailed off, staring at the flowers Ignis was carefully arranging. ‘Wow, you’re really good at that.’

‘It’s a talent I acquired with my mother in Tenebrae. The sylleblossoms made for excellent centerpieces,’ Ignis watched Gladio, beginning to suspect he knew what was going on with his friend today. ‘Gladio?’

‘Hm?’ Gladio looked back up at him, as though jarred from a deep thought.

‘The ball this evening, you haven’t got a date, have you?’ Ignis felt a slight tint of nausea himself. If he was misreading this situation, his question could prove disastrous. Still, the unknown seemed slightly more terrifying to him at the moment, so he soldiered on. ‘How would you like to accompany me?’

Gladio blinked, his jaw going slack. It took him almost a full moment to recover the ability to speak, and when he did, he still sounded rather unsure of himself. ‘Are you… are you asking me to be your date?’

‘Only if you want to,’ Ignis said quickly, feeling his cheeks going red, completely undermining what he had intended to be an innocent tone.

‘Of course I want to,’ Gladio’s posture seemed to relax almost immediately. He sucked in a shaky breath. ‘I, uh, I’ve been kind of meaning to ask you all day. But, well, I figured I probably wasn’t your type.’

‘Gladio, I think you’re everyone’s type,’ Ignis rolled his eyes, plucking a free rose from the table and tucking it behind Gladio’s ear. ‘Handsome, well, _gorgeous_ really, intelligent, funny, so very kind –’ he was cut off from listing any further qualities by Gladio’s lips pressing against his own. Ignis’ hands went up, searching for a collar to use to tug him closer, forgetting Gladio was wearing only a tee. Instead, he closed his fingers around Gladio’s long, beaded necklace he always wore, tugging gently and prompting Gladio to wrap his arms around him.

‘Gods, I can’t tell you how long I’ve wanted to do that,’ Gladio smiled when he pulled away. ‘If you think _I’m_ a catch, you should look at yourself. You’re _perfect_ , Iggy. So I would’ve understood if you wanted nothing to do with me in the romantic sense.’

Ignis shook his head, fiddling with the rose he’d tucked behind Gladio’s ear. ‘Oh Gladio, don’t be ridiculous. I already told you a person would have to be completely mad to not want you; that includes myself. Is this why you’ve been staring at me all day, and acting so bizarrely shy?’

Gladio chuckled shyly. ‘Yeah, I’m uh, not as smooth as people like to think I am, at least not with people I _really_ like. Sorry about pulling the creepy stalker routine today.’

‘I might have been annoyed by anyone else,’ Ignis smirked. ‘But for you, I’ll let it slide. Now please, as much as I’d like to stay here kissing you all afternoon, I _do_ need to finish these arrangements before the party. _But_ ,’ Ignis stood on his tiptoes to press a chaste kiss to Gladio’s lips. ‘I _will_ see you tonight.’

Gladio smiled, looking much more relaxed than he had all day. ‘I’ll see you later. Text me when you’re done?’

‘I look forward to it,’ Ignis nodded. He watched him leave with a fond smile. This day had certainly not gone as he had expected, but Ignis could not have been happier. It looked like his notion of enjoying the romantic ambiance of all the decorations he’d worked so hard on with that special someone who’d stolen his heart were to become a reality after all. He thanked the astrals he was observant enough to have felt Gladio’s eyes on him; otherwise he’d probably still be staring from afar, rather than preparing for their _date_. Ignis could scarcely believe it. He could barely wait to have those soft amber eyes on him again that evening, this time much closer. It would truly be a perfect night.

**Author's Note:**

> Hopefully no one tires of wholesome, fluffy gladnis any time soon, because this seems to be my life now.


End file.
